How often should computers be replaced?
Short answer
Plan on about four to five years for most business laptops and desktops, sooner for heavy workloads like engineering design. Past that point, repairs, slowdowns, and lost time usually cost more than a new computer, and older hardware may not support current operating systems and security features. Replacing on a schedule beats replacing on failure.
The real cost of an old computer isn't the hardware. It's a person waiting on it every day.
A sensible cycle
- Standard office laptops and desktops: about four to five years
- High-performance workstations: often sooner, based on software requirements
- Anything that can't run a supported, updated operating system: now
Replace on a schedule
Spreading replacements across years keeps the budget steady and avoids a crisis when a batch of computers all age out at once. Standardizing models makes support and spares simpler, too.